Den of Thieves (2018)

[javy]

Your thoughts have me looking forward to it, Talleyrand.

[MifuneFan]

Poll added. Hopefully I did it right, it's my first time.

[borgmatrix]

This was an okay enough time at the theater, but not that great of a movie. As I had commented on previously, I was especially looking forward to Gerard Butler in this role. He was good and without him, I don't think there'd have been much for me here. However, while I liked the early "bad cop" regulator idea with him and his team, it felt like there wasn't much more of that the rest of the way. There were scenes with Butler as the movie progressed that seemed designed to remind us he's unpredictable or scary, but these involved his personal life and felt more a riff on a Vincent Hanna type character than the Vic Mackey sort that I was looking forward to seeing after the early scenes. Feels like other cop characters from other movies couldn't have been plugged in during the latter half of the movie with the same result. Would have liked to have seen more of the scary regulator in action against Merriman's crew, rather than feeling much of that aura was window dressing.

Dialogue wasn't very good. So getting to the first dialogue-heavy scenes early on at the donut place with Butler and his guys, I thought "okay, this is the quality we're looking at..."

I really wish O'Shea Jackson's character had not been in this, and that instead they'd focused on better development of the conflict/rivalry between Butler's bad cop O'Brien and Pablo Schreiber's ex-marine Merriman. It felt like the writers were much too focused on being clever for something that happens at the end, and I really wish they'd dropped that and just focused on constructing something that made more sense and was better thought out for the main body of the film and for the conflict between O'Brien and Merriman.

No issues with the filming of the action or shoot-outs. But much of the movie is cobbled together from bits and pieces we've seen before and done better in other films.

[Spirit Zero]

I'm hearing this is simply a diversified remake of Heat.

[Talleyrand]

Originally Posted by Spirit Zero

I'm hearing this is simply a diversified remake of Heat.

Nonsense, see my earlier post.

In terms of "diversified," it's equally as diverse as Heat, if not less so, since in Heat there is a Latino in the bank robbery crew as well as a black man. And there are interracial cops in both as well.

In terms of "remake," that is a preposterous absurdity concocted to denigrate the film. It's a heist film, so there are similarities, and the first scene is quite similar, but other than that, they are as different as two heist films can be. I was expected a bit of a "remake" myself and was pleasantly surprised many times throughout the film at how it was not a remake at all.

[Spirit Zero]

Den of Thieves - Movie Review - YouTube

[cinemaphile]

I actually rewatched Heat today, and there are quite a few similarities, to the point where if someone told me they were adaptations of the same story I would totally believe it. That being said, they are definitely each their own film, and I liked both.

[shrex]

Checked this out this afternoon and pretty much delivered on what I thought it was going to be going in. Its not truly original by any means, but its pretty entertaining. Direction was fine, could have used some editing. A bit overlong at 2 hours 20 mins, but I was never really bored. The action sequences are fun and enjoyable but nothing memorable. I voted in the poll. Worth a watch in my opinion.

[phobicsquirrel]

Wow the review on the site is brutal imo. Especially since the same reviewer gave The Last Jedi such a better one. Picking apart den like a buzzard is okay yet that didn't happen with last jedi. I'm shocked

[CelluloidPal]

Just came from the afternoon showing and my thought are pretty much in line with Talleyrand.
I was thoroughly engaged from start to finish. Definitely not a Heat ripoff as others have said. Just a cops/robbers heist film.
The acting was good all around, even from 50 Cent, who functioned as he was supposed to here.
The sound was definitely on point with the shootout sequences and the cinematography was well done too.
It never felt like 2.5 hours but the subplot with Gerald Butler's character, though well intended, and that prom date scene, though funny, wasn't really needed and could've been left on the cutting room floor.
The only thing that I disagree with was the aspect of trying to hard being too clever for its own good. I thought it did work here and the audience that I saw it with were lovin' it as did I.
Overall, I thought it was a solid enough and entertaining movie and one of the better January releases I've seen recently.

3.5 of 5

[Pounder]

Enjoyed this one very much. Great sound. 4/5

[Scarriere]

I just came back from seeing and thought it was entertaining.
The

[Show spoiler]prom date scene was hilarious!

It's now where near Heat or The Town but an enjoyable action flick!
I voted 4/5

[phobicsquirrel]

Originally Posted by cinemaphile

I actually rewatched Heat today, and there are quite a few similarities, to the point where if someone told me they were adaptations of the same story I would totally believe it. That being said, they are definitely each their own film, and I liked both.

I can see that though I think they tried too hard in Den... Heat, with great performances, offers little in the way of "action" but there is one hell of a bank robbing scene. It's interesting imo, between these two films, that Den has two big "heist" scenes while Heat really only has one. Yet even though Heat is longer it feels shorter, if that makes sense. I dunno, I felt as if Den wasn't as "likable" as Heat though it was a decent flick. Again, I think it is because it tries too hard and the "criminal" isn't as distinguished as say Sam and his crew.

[yellowjacket1]

6/10

A very loud movie featuring bad guys vs badder guys performed by a dull cast. No one is particularly likeable and when they try and humanize ANY character it comes across as extremely awkward. (Examples: Butler at recess with his daughter, interaction with the wife, bad guys intimidating the daughter’s date, etc.)

Most of the film was an exercise in macho gymnastics and not mental gymnastics. Then, the heist gets clever except for a few strange stretches in reality

[Show spoiler] (spoiler: why did it take so long for Butler and his crew to rally and follow after the first bank job was exposed? Did he stop for a nap and more food while the entire heist took place? Bulter must have set a record for either eating or drinking during a scene for any lead actor.)

It’s worth noting that the finale does featured the absolute worst bit of police work EVER in terms of putting civilian lives in jeopardy.

[Show spoiler](spoiler: This crew went out their way to not kill civilians yet Butler forces their hand in an insane shoot out in traffic.)

I did not see the twist at the end coming but somehow it made me dislike the movie more for some reason. Overall, it is intense but not as slick or as interesting as it pretends to be.

[borgmatrix]

Originally Posted by yellowjacket1

6/10

A very loud movie featuring bad guys vs badder guys performed by a dull cast. No one is particularly likeable and when they try and humanize ANY character it comes across as extremely awkward. (Examples: Butler at recess with his daughter, interaction with the wife, bad guys intimidating the daughter’s date, etc.)

Most of the film was an exercise in macho gymnastics and not mental gymnastics. Then, the heist gets clever except for a few strange stretches in reality

[Show spoiler] (spoiler: why did it take so long for Butler and his crew to rally and follow after the first bank job was exposed? Did he stop for a nap and more food while the entire heist took place? Bulter must have set a record for either eating or drinking during a scene for any lead actor.)

It’s worth noting that the finale does featured the absolute worst bit of police work EVER in terms of putting civilian lives in jeopardy.

[Show spoiler](spoiler: This crew went out their way to not kill civilians yet Butler forces their hand in an insane shoot out in traffic.)

I did not see the twist at the end coming but somehow it made me dislike the movie more for some reason. Overall, it is intense but not as slick or as interesting as it pretends to be.

I largely agree with you, including about the twist which evoked the same reaction from me.

May I ask how you got to a 6/10 rating though, as you provided far more in the way of criticism than much positive. Again, I agree with your take above, but I'd lower the rating based on all that. Not minor problems.

[slm]

Loved it! Very entertaining. Lots of similarities to Heat. My BF also really liked it (he even recommended it to a friend today!) and he's very hard to please. I'm trying to buy fewer movies in 2018, but this is definitely one I'd like for my collection and will enjoy re-watching! Go see it!!

[yellowjacket1]

Originally Posted by borgmatrix

I largely agree with you, including about the twist which evoked the same reaction from me.

May I ask how you got to a 6/10 rating though, as you provided far more in the way of criticism than much positive. Again, I agree with your take above, but I'd lower the rating based on all that. Not minor problems.

Yeah, the more I think about it 6/10 is being far too kind. Yet, I wasn't bored and was interested to see how it all played out. I left thinking "middle of the road, non-offensive January flick." Maybe having low expectations helped and I am kind of a fan of Gerard Butler. 5/10 may be the middle rating I was looking for...

[Tony208]

Surprised me a little. Kept me interested and the shootout between the gangs is worth it.

4/5

Best movie of January lol

[BigPudge]

Thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Good old fashioned cops and robbers movie. The heist was exyremely edge of your seat, kept me fully engaged.

[Show spoiler]a thing I did like was the ambiguity of the characters, because the cops really werent likeable,
It would have been just as plausible for the bad guys to get away with it and the cops to die or the bad guys to dir and the cops to live.... I will say, I was actually hoping they would have had Gerard Butler die and Pablo and his team gets away with it... Butler just played a complete shit head, the robbers were just taking some money!

And the very end with it all being O'Shea Jackson Jr's plan... eh... that was okay, I'd have been good if he had just escaped and somehow got the money... not some Keyser Soze esque twist

All in all... quite enjoyable

[Tony208]

Pornstache from Orange is the New Black became a stone cold killer [emoji33]